Tomb Raider Deleted Scene Shows How Lara Croft Survived Last Revelation

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Tomb Raider franchise. Over the last quarter of a century, fans have been transported all over the world on exotic and mythical adventures with Lara Croft. However, while the Tomb Raider series often answers most questions that players may have as each story unravels, one remained an ongoing mystery for quite some time – just how did Lara Croft survive between the events of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness?

As part of Tomb Raider’s anniversary celebrations, each game in the series is receiving a month-long focus dedicated exclusively to its history and impact on the gaming community. Most recently it was the turn of The Last Revelation, Lara’s fourth entry to the video game world. This game saw the archaeologist heroine diving into Ancient Egyptian myths and legends. However, The Last Revelation is possibly most famous as being the title that left Lara Croft supposedly dead on its conclusion.

This idea of Lara’s death continued in The Last Revelation’s sequel, Tomb Raider Chronicles. Chronicles takes place almost exclusively in flashbacks, as fans play out missions from Lara Croft’s past, while her friends reminisce about their time with her after her funeral. Yet, at the end of Chronicles, Werner Von Croy unearths Lara’s backpack from the destroyed tomb’s rubble, exclaiming elatedly that he had “found her.” This story is elaborated on a little bit further in a third game, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. But, while Lara Croft is clearly alive and well in The Angel of Darkness, it is never actually explained how exactly she survived the cold isolation between games. However, this was not originally going to be the case. A deleted scene from The Angel of Darkness was going to reveal more about Lara’s ordeal before she was found by Von Croy at the end of Chronicles.

Tomb Raider: Amulets and Shamans

The Angel of Darkness is not one of the most popular entries to the Tomb Raider franchise. It took on a much darker and more atmospheric tone compared to previous installments within the series. However, it also nearly included the introduction of a mystical spirit guide for Lara Croft. In a deleted scene from The Angel of Darkness that was shared on Tomb Raider’s YouTube channel, it is revealed that Lara was found by a shaman named Putai after the conclusion of The Last Revelation. According to Murti Scofield, the writer of The Angel of Darkness, Putai was:

“… intended as a mentor figure in a way that Lara’s more earthly mentors could not hope to operate. She was a shamanic link to all the mythical roots of the worlds that Lara had been adventuring in for the whole of her life. What Putai would have been able to teach Lara was on a different, more refined, more elemental level than she had previously been able to perceive. And once Lara had begun to transform and understand her place in this mythical domain, she would find all kinds of otherwise inaccessible secrets opening up to her. She would be able to unlock the Portal of the Centuries.“

Putai’s teachings between Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and The Angel of Darkness would have given more gravitas to Lara’s survival. While Lara Croft is certainly a character of incredible strength and resilience, at the end of the day, she is still a mortal human being. Had the games revealed more about this additional spiritual (and magical) influence in her life, it would have given players more believability in Lara Croft’s ongoing endurance after the events of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

Source: Tomb Raider/YouTube

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